Grilled Chicken Caesar

Sometimes a simple classic is all you need. Recently, The Husband requested Grilled Chicken Caesar. 

No problemo, Husband.

I like having this at home because you can control the amounts. In restaurants, it's often drenched and who knows where the dressing came from.

I use Lidia Bastianich's Caesar Salad Dressing recipe. It's my go-to. You don't need to use the whole amount of dressing for this dish. Just store the remaining dressing for use later in the week. Lidia recommends a blender or food processor for making the dressing. I always use my food processor. 

The chicken is easy to prepare. Just marinate in thyme and fresh lemon juice and olive oil. That's it.

Super simple!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

(Makes 4 servings, with some chicken leftover)

For the chicken:

2 lbs. thin cut chicken breast (about 10-12 slices)

1 tsp. dried thyme

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together thyme, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place chicken in bowl. Massage marinade into chicken breasts so that all are evenly coated. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes and up to 4 hours.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in batches (be sure to not overcrowd the pan). Grill on each side about 3-4 minutes per side. Set aside in a covered dish to keep warm. Repeat until all chicken pieces are grilled.

For the salad:

Romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped (about 6 cups)

Croutons (optional)

Caesar Salad Dressing

From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen

By Lidia Bastianich

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, plus more for dressing the salad

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4 cloves garlic

4 anchovy fillets

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or as needed

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 hard-boiled egg yolk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,

Combine 2 Tbsp. vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and anchovies in a blender or the work bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth smooth, adding some of the 1/3 cup olive oil if there isn't enough liquid to move the mixture around the blender jar. Add the mustard, hard-boiled egg yolk, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and remaining olive oil if any. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste the dressing; if it's a little too tangy, pour in a splash or two of olive oil and blend until incorporated. 

Place romaine leaves in a large bowl, add enough dressing to coat the leaves. Add a splash of extra vinegar if you would like the dressing thinner. Toss with a few handfuls of grated cheese. Season with pepper if desired.

To serve:

Top each plate with prepared romaine leaves. Top each salad with two slices of chicken and croutons if using.

Your New Fave Din

Here's an easy peasy chicken din: Grilled Chicken with Basil Parsley Sauce. It is literally my son's favorite dish right now. He asked if I could make it every day. He ate three servings of this the first night, and all of the leftovers the second night.

As long as you remember to marinate the chicken at least thirty minutes ahead, you are good to go. This uses thin cut chicken breast so it cooks up super quick. Just make sure you cook it in batches because overcrowding your grill pan is no bueno. Your chicken will end up poached rather than grilled.

I always keep fresh basil on my windowsill and parsley in my veg drawer so making this is a cinch. It goes great with pasta, rice, a salad. Whatevs!

And you can make the basil parsley sauce ahead as well. I'm a big big fan of make-ahead things because I like to have as much cleaned in the kitchen before I sit my bootie down to actually eat. One of my OCD qualities. For sure.

When I made this, I served the super amazing Lemon Fusilli with Arugula by Barefoot Contessa.

Link to that awesomeness is here: Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

And here's the chicken recipe below!

Grilled Chicken with Basil Parsley Sauce
Makes 3-4 servings

For the chicken:

6-8 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced or 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
Juice from 1 lemon, about 3 Tbsp.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a glass bowl, whisk together thyme, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to make a marinade. Place chicken breasts in the bowl. Coat the chicken with the marinade. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Set in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 8 hours.

When ready to cook, place a grill pan over medium high heat. Grill chicken in batches about 4 minutes per side. Chicken should be nicely browned and cooked through. Set aside cooked chicken in a covered dish while grilling the second or third batch.

Serve immediately or at room temp with the sauce listed below.

Basil Parsley Sauce
1cup fresh basil
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender or a food processor, place basil, parsley, garlic clove, lemon zest and juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Scrape sides if necessary and puree again for 20 seconds. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

To serve: Plate a slice of chicken with a tablespoon or two of the bright basil parsley sauce. Devour!